Korean "This" and "That": 이, 그, 저 and 이거, 여기 Explained
Learn how to say this, that and that over there in Korean with 이, 그 and 저, plus 이거/그거/저거 for things and 여기/거기/저기 for places, with easy examples.
BeginnerSentence basics7 min readTap any Korean word to see it explained
The short answer
Korean has three pointing words: 이 (this, near me), 그 (that, near you or already mentioned) and 저 (that over there). Put them before a noun: 이 책 (this book). For things, say 이거/그거/저거. For places, say 여기/거기/저기.
English has two pointing words, “this” and “that”. Korean has three, and they follow one simple pattern. Once you know 이, 그 and 저, you can point at people, things and places. Tap the chips below to see each part.
1. 이, 그, 저 + a noun
Think about where the thing is. Is it close to me, close to you, or far from both of us?
- 이: this, close to me (the speaker).
- 그: that, close to you (the listener).
- 저: that over there, far from both of us.
Each one is its own word, so put a space before the noun: 이 책, 그 가방, 저 사람.
Careful: 저 here means 'that over there'. 저 also means 'I' (humble). The context makes it clear.
When introducing someone older or important, say 이분 (this person, respectful) instead of 이 사람.
2. Things: 이거, 그거, 저거
To say “this one” or “that one” without naming the thing, add 것 (thing). In writing it is 이것, 그것, 저것. In speech, people almost always say the shorter 이거, 그거, 저거.
With particles, these words shrink even more. You will hear the short forms all the time:
| Written | Spoken | + 이/가 | + 은/는 | + 을/를 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 이것 (this) | 이거 | 이게 | 이건 | 이걸 |
| 그것 (that) | 그거 | 그게 | 그건 | 그걸 |
| 저것 (that over there) | 저거 | 저게 | 저건 | 저걸 |
이게 is 이것이 squeezed together. It is the most natural way to ask about something in your hand.
3. Places: 여기, 거기, 저기
Places follow the same pattern: 여기 (here), 거기 (there, near you) and 저기 (over there).
On the phone you cannot see the other place, but it is near the listener, so it is 거기.
4. 그 for “that thing we talked about”
그 has a second job. It points back to something already mentioned, even if it is nowhere in sight. This is often how Koreans say “the”.
In casual speech the object particle 를 is often dropped, so 영화 stands alone here.
You will also hear 그게 on its own at the start of a sentence, like “Well, the thing is...”: 그게... 좀 어려워요. (Well... it’s a bit hard.)
Hear it in songs
K-pop lyrics are full of 이 밤 (this night), 그날 (that day) and 여기. Open a song in Hanbok Lyrics and tap a line to see every word. Next, learn to ask questions with Korean question words, or join nouns with 하고, 와/과 and 랑 (and).
Check yourself
Quick check · 1 of 4You are holding a cup in a shop. "How much is ___?"
Questions learners ask
What is the difference between 이, 그 and 저 in Korean?
이 means "this" (near me, the speaker). 그 means "that" near you, the listener, or something we already talked about. 저 means "that over there", far from both of us.
What does 이거 mean?
이거 means "this thing" or "this one". It is the spoken form of 이것. In the same way, 그거 and 저거 come from 그것 and 저것. 이거 얼마예요? means "How much is this?"
What is the difference between 거기 and 저기?
거기 is "there" near the listener, or a place you just mentioned, like on the phone: 거기 날씨 어때요? (How is the weather there?). 저기 is "over there", a place you can both see in the distance.
Why does 그 sometimes mean "the"?
Korean has no word for "the". When you mean "that thing we just talked about", Koreans use 그: 그 영화 봤어요? (Did you see that movie?). It often works like "the" in English.